Traffic Analysis Toolbox Volume VI: Definition, Interpretation, and Calculation of Traffic Analysis Tools Measures of Effectiveness

Overview

This report presents the results of an investigation into the appropriate definition, interpretation, and computation of measures of effectiveness (MOEs) for traffic operations and capacity improvement.

The goal of this study was to develop information and guidance on which MOEs should be produced, how they should be interpreted, and how they are be defined and calculated in traffic analysis tools. Specific objectives of the study were to:

1. Gain an understanding of the current use and interpretation, by transportation professionals, of some of the most commonly used MOEs generated by traffic simulation and analytical tools, such as HCM procedures;
2. Identify how field measurements are processed to estimate the MOEs used in conducting traffic analysis studies;
3. Provide guidance on how these MOEs are defined and calculated in the tools;
4. Develop an innovative approach to interpret these MOEs when conducting traffic analysis studies; and
5. Demonstrate the validity of the approach through a case study of representative tools.